


everybody else signed.

by rileyhart



Series: after the dome [1]
Category: Under The Dome (TV)
Genre: Gen, also not really norrie/joe but like her grief for him, i always loved julia & norrie's relationship and was sad we didnt see more of them, julia is her third mom dont lie, post getting out of the dome, the signing of the contract to lie about the dome basically, this is mostly them, yeah i hated season three but i had to write this anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 20:17:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15870999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rileyhart/pseuds/rileyhart
Summary: “Everybody else signed.” He says, and Barbie laughs hollowly.“You know who I am right?” Barbie says and the soldier’s face tightens.Barbie leans in. “I know how this works. I know that you say that to everybody.”





	everybody else signed.

**Author's Note:**

> okay so i know no one but me cares about this show anymore but i just did a rewatch and it reminded me how much i love the characters and how much i hate the writers for fucking up such a good show. anyways here is a little short piece set at the end of s3. if youre reading this i am impressed that youre still into this show as much as i am.

“Everybody else signed.” He says, and Barbie laughs hollowly.

“You know who I am right?” Barbie says and the soldier’s face tightens. 

Barbie leans in. “I know how this works. I know that you say that to everybody.” He pushes the document with the fake story back to the man. “Now let me speak to Julia Shumway.”

* * *

“Everybody else signed.” He says to Julia, and she looks up at him suspiciously.

“Yeah, I’m sure they did,” she says sarcastically. 

She fiddles with the pen before putting it down, and pushing the document slightly away. “Where’s Barbie?” She asks. “And Eleanor Calvert. I want to speak to them.”

“And you can, ma’am, right after you sign.”

“Norrie is underage. She can’t legally sign this by herself. Let me see her.” Julia demands.

“Once you have all signed ma’am.” He sighs now, sounding tired.

“I thought you said everybody already had?” Julia catches him. “Let me see her.”

He doesn’t respond.

“She’s a _child_. Let me see her _now_.” Julia insists.

* * *

“Everybody else signed.” The soldier says to Norrie.

“Where’s Joe?” Norrie demands, sticky tear tracks drying on her cheeks.

“We have been unable to locate Joe McCalister. He is believed to be dead.”

“No,” Norrie says. “No!” She repeats louder. “He’s not dead if there’s no body! Keep fucking looking!”

“Ma’am, please, I understand—“

“No. No, you don’t understand _anything_!” She screams at him. “I’m not selling some phoney story to cover your asses until you find Joe!”

The door opens and Norrie looks over to see Julia with her hands cuffed standing there with another soldier.

“Julia!” She cries out, rushing over to her and flinging her arms around her. Julia does the best to hug her back as Norrie sobs into her shoulder.

“They won’t tell me where Joe is,” she sobs, “he’s all I have, Julia. I need him.”

“Hey, hey, you have me, okay? And Barbie. This is all gonna be over soon, and we’ll be free, properly.” Julia says quietly; her best attempt to comfort the distressed teenager.

“I need Joe,” Norrie murmurs, her voice dangerously close to breaking.

“Where is Joe McCalister?” Julia asks the soldiers.

They exchange a glance. “Dead. We’re sorry.”

Julia swallows, and looks back to Norrie’s distraught face.

“It’s not true, Julia, I know it. He’s alive.”

“Norrie—“

“They’re lying!” Norrie gestures at the men, who tell her to calm down.

“Norrie, Norrie,” Julia murmurs, gaining her attention and silence. “Have you signed?”

Norrie shakes her head. “No, I’m not going to until they tell me about Joe.”

“I think you should,” Julia says delicately.

“What? You’re on their side?!” 

“No, no, I’m not. I’m on your side, always. But it’s the only way out of here.”

Norrie gulps and stares at Julia. “Did you sign?” she asks after a moment.

“No. I said I needed to be presented when you signed seeing as your underage.”

“Are you going to? Has Barbie?”

“Yes, I’m going to, but after I know you’re okay.”

Norrie gives the smallest of nods, and they walk over to the table. 

Norrie sits and picks up the pen. She hesitates and looks at Julia. “What about Joe?” She asks quietly.

Julia doesn’t respond, but her sadden expression says the answer that Norrie doesn’t want to hear.

“He’s out there.” She insists. “I know he is.”

“Then we’ll find him, but we can’t do that in here.”

Defeated, Norrie signs.

* * *

Julia is led back to the other room.

“Where is Joe McCalister?” She asks the soldier as she sits down at the table. “Is he really dead?”

“Yes. He died upon impact with the energy from the egg and the amethysts.”

“Then where is his body?” She asks him. 

“Disintegrated.”

“Disintegrated?!” Julia repeats with disbelief. 

“Yes, with the Dome.”

She gulps. She supposes Joe’s dead body disintegrating is not the craziest thing to have happened in the past three weeks.

After everything she can’t believe that he’s really dead and they’re really free.

She thinks of all the people she saw die in that Dome.

She thinks of Barbie and Norrie, survivors with her. Hunter, Big Jim, Lily too. Are they really it?

She takes a deep breath in and signs.

* * *

“What happens if I don’t sign?” Barbie asks, sitting back with his arms crossed.

The soldier is clearly getting annoyed. They’ve been here for hours.

“Then you will be detained with the infected.”

“That doesn’t exactly sound like an amazing option.” Barbie says, clicking his tongue.

The soldier doesn’t respond.

“Let me speak to Julia.” Barbie demands.

“You can see Ms Shumway once you’ve signed.”

“What about her? Has she signed?”

“Yes,” the soldier sighs, and it’s something in his voice that makes Barbie thinks he’s actually telling the truth this time. 

He repositions himself in the chair, sitting up slightly.

“What about Big Jim? He signed?”

The soldier looks at Barbie but doesn’t respond.

“Not without his conditions I bet. He signs to keep your secrets and you promise to keep his. All those people he murdered, and he just gets off. It’s a perfect deal for him.”

“You’re not so innocent yourself, Mr Barbara.”

“What are you suggesting?” Barbie asks, his voice low.

“That the government will forgive your… indiscretions in return for your signature.”

“Indiscretions? That’s what we’re calling murder now?”

“What would you have us do Mr Barbara? Imprison Mr Rennie for his crimes? You, Ms Shumway, and Ms Calvert also killed in that Dome. This document ensures that you keep quiet about the kinship, and we keep quiet about your crimes.”

Barbie glares at the man. “And you leave us the hell alone? For the rest of our lives?”

The soldier nods, a small smile on his face. 

He knows he’s won.

Barbie picks up the pen and signs.

* * *

The others are already out there when he’s released — sitting in what looks like a waiting room. Julia, Norrie, Big Jim, Hunter, Lily.

Julia rushes towards him, and he engulfs her in a hug, entwining his fingers in her red hair and holding her as tight as possible.

“You okay?” He asks, hands on her face when they break apart. 

She nods. “You?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he murmurs, “I’m fine.”

His eyes fall on Norrie, looking lost and small, sinking in a chair. She catches him looking at her and stares back. 

He sees the hurt in her eyes and has to look away.

“What happens now?” Julia asks, clasping her hand around his.

“We will escort you to your preferred locations.” An officer tells her.

“Preferred locations?” She questions.

“Home.” Hunter answers for her. “They’ll take us home.”

This is almost laughable for Julia. She doesn’t have a home anymore.

Barbie seems to sense this and squeezes her hand softly. “You’ll come back to my place.”

She almost smiles before she sees Norrie looking at her like a scared child.

Julia lets go of Barbie’s hand and walks over to her, sitting down next to her.

“What’s going to happen to me, Julia?” Norrie asks her, clearly on the brink of tears again.

“Hey, it’s okay, you’ll come back with me and Barbie.” Julia reaches out and squeezes Norrie’s arm reassuringly, before glancing back at Barbie, who nods.

“Or you can stay with me,” Hunter offers casually.

“No, she comes with me and Barbie.” Julia says firmly; her tone stating that it is the end of discussion.

Norrie pulls abruptly away from her. “You’re not my mom!” She retorts, and Julia gulps, shifting slightly in her chair away form Norrie; guilt flooding her again.

Then Norrie’s face seems to soften, and her shoulders sag. “Sorry,” she whispers quietly.

“It’s okay,” Julia assures her, pulling her into a hug.

* * *

They have three black cars waiting out the front for them. They hug Hunter and Lily goodbye, who get into the first one.

Big Jim stands outside the second one, turning to Julia, Barbie, and Norrie before getting in.

“Where will you go?” Julia asks him, and she feels Barbie tense beside her, knowing he’s mentally telling her there is no way in hell he’d ever let Big Jim stay at his place.

“They’re taking me to some fancy hotel.” He tells her gruffly, and Julia nods thoughtfully.

An awkward moment of silence fills the air between them. Julia has no idea what she is meant to say to someone like Big Jim. Someone who tried more than once to murder her and the two people standing next to her; someone who for the past week had her back after everything else that had happened.

He offers her a hand and she shakes it. “It’s been a hell of a month.” He says, and she lets out a chuckle.

“That’s one way to put it,” she responds, and a ghost of a smile appears on his face.

He shakes Barbie and Norrie’s hands too, before finally getting in the car.

Julia and Norrie get into the back seat of the last car, Barbie in the front with the driver.

Barbie watches in the rearview mirror as Norrie rests her head on Julia’s shoulder, silently crying as Julia runs her hands through Norrie’s hair.

The three cars drive away in unison, and Julia stares out the tinted window at the world going by and wonders what’s going to happen next.


End file.
